Scottish Sea Kayaking Photo GalleryScottish Sea Kayaking Photo Gallery
A 3 day paddle from Traigh Niosaboist, Harris to Tarasaigh (Taransay), Traigh Scarasta, Harris, Toe Head, Copaigh (Coppay), Siolaigh (Shillay), Pabaigh (Pabbay), Boraraigh (Boreray), Bearnaraigh (Bernaray), Ceileagraigh (Killegray), Easay (Ensay) and Leverburgh, Harris. 61.7 km, 25-27/7/05.
Conditions on the day: Wind N force 4 dropping to 3. LW (Leverburgh): 15:30 BST 0.68m. HW 21:36 4.55m.
We drove south from the first part of our Hebridean Adventure on Loch Roag, Lewis.
16:32
View
SW down the Sound of Taransay (from the road over Aird an Tolmachain) to
Ceapabhal 365m.
17:10
View
NE up the Sound of Taransay over Traiugh Sheiliboist to the hills of Harris.
Clisham 799m is the highest, to the right.
18:24
The
Sound of Taransay from Traigh Niosaboist, Harris.
18:45
Crossing
the Sound of Taransay.
19:07
Traigh
Paibeal, Taransay.
19:12
Traigh
Paibeal, to the hills of Harris.
19:12
Traigh
Paibeal, Taransay.
19:15
Traigh
Paibeal, Taransay.
Photo Billy Nicol
19:15
Traigh
Paibeal, Taransay.
Photo Billy Nicol
19:19
Traigh
Paibeal, Taransay.
It was a bit busy with some paddlers in a Canadian canoe and a couple of parties staying in the various renovated buildings so we went elsewhere.
20:07
Traigh Clach an Teampuill.
20:08
Welcoming
committee of red deer.
20:17
From
Traigh Clach an Teampuill, Taransay towards Traigh Scarista, Harris.
22:39
Our
only campfire of the week.
Conditions on the day: Wind E force 2 becoming cyclonic then NW force 3-4. HW (Leverburgh): 09:58 BST 4.04m LW: 16:15 0.93m HW: 22:21 4.28m
07:45
From
Traigh Clach an Teampuill, Taransay towards Traigh Scarista, Harris.
07:52
Clach
an Teampuill, Taransay. This ancient standing stone must have predated any
associated church (teampuill) by hundreds or even thousands of years.
08:02
Traigh
a Siar, Taransay.
10:48
From
Traigh Clach an Teampuill, Taransay towards Traigh Scarista, Harris. We spent a
very pleasant half hour chatting to the couple who own Barcadale. For many
years, they moored near my uncle's boat.
10:53
Barcadale,
Clyde Cruising Club. Barcadale was originally called Ebenezer and she was built in 1938-39 at Buckie by Herd and Mackenzie. She was
requisitioned by the Admiralty as a Navy patrol boat and served at Scapa during
the war. After the war her owners, Gardens, from Portlessie, fished her as a
drifter trawler out of Buckie. She then was sold to Wick and Peterhead fishing
fleets before being bought by her present owner in 1973. From 1973 to 1979 she
was converted to a yacht and is now based on the west coast near Oban. She is 60
feet long, draws 7 feet of water weighs 31 tons net. She also has a wood burning
stove.
12:11
Traigh
Scarista, Harris.
12:12
Ceapabhal
365m from Traigh Scarista
Photo Billy Nicol
12:16
Traigh Scarista.
Photo Billy Nicol
12:20
From
the dunes of Traigh Scarista, looking back to Taransay with the hills of
Harris behind. We waited here for slack water round Toe Head.
12:49
Traigh
Scarista, the wind begins to drop.
13:05
Leaving
Traigh Scarista for Toe Head.
13:29
Toe
Head, it really is like the toes of a foot! Unfortunately the swell was too big
to enter any of the inlets.
13:42
Toe
Head with Coppay in the distance.
Photo Billy Nicol.
13:46
Toe
Head.
Photo Billy Nicol.
14:02
Leaving
Toe head in a flat calm.
We then headed out to Coppay. As we approached the isle the from the north east, we had become oblivious to great Atlantic swells passing harmlessly beneath our unresisting keels. We paddled quite close in, looking for somewhere to land. I thought the water ahead looked a bit funny then suddenly it disappeared, leaving a bare reef of jagged rocky teeth. Not expecting the tide to go out quite so quickly, I then felt the stern begin to rise.
A quick glance behind and Billy was lost from sight behind the steep curling Wave which had appeared from nowhere and was now toppling over onto my back deck in a mass of broken water. Instinctively, I leaned forward and took two quick paddle strokes. The exhilaration of the acceleration as I caught the wave distracted my attention from the waiting fangs for only a moment but it was too late. I was nearly on them, with a fully loaded boat, 2.5 kilometres out into the Atlantic, off the west coast of Harris. Waiting for the inevitable crunch, I was still surfing on the face of the advancing Wave and (in a reverse of the Israelites' successful crossing of the Red Sea) the waters closed over the reef and propelled me safely over. I let out a great whoop but it was drowned by the noise of the crashing surf. I surfed the big Wave for fully 150 metres until it dissipated in the deeper water beyond the reef.
At first, I could not see Billy and, for a moment, I feared he had been taken by the Wave. Then he reappeared, weaving through the reefs inshore. He could not see me as he was still looking back to where the ocean swells were ramping up into waves and pounding the edge of the reef. It was a great relief to meet up in the shelter of the lee of Coppay, even though there was nowhere to land. Billy had been paddling one swell behind when I suddenly disappeared. He had thought I was a goner and he had just time to paddle at right angles to the following swell and clear the inshore edge of the reef. I looked at my GPS and scrolled through the information pages. My maximum speed had reached 28.9km per hour. I doubt I will ever paddle so fast again!
14:13
In
the lee of Coppay.
Photo Billy Nichol
14:20 Panorama from Coppay to the hills of Harris, Toe Head,
Ceapabhal 365m,
The Skye Cuillin in the far distance, the Sound of Harris, Ensay, Killegray,
Berneray and Pabbay.
14:58
Initially we headed
south west for Pabbay, I managed to persuade Billy that a visit to distant
Shillay was a good idea.
15:09 Shillay
with its beckoning flash of white shell sand, that appeared and disappeared with
the rise and fall of the swell.
Photo Billy Nicol
15:34
Shillay,
a perfect spot to get the Kelly kettle out for lunch.
15:35
Shillay: Harris,
the distant Skye Cuillin, the dazzling strand of Boreray and Pabbay from the
perfect spot for lunch.
15:38
Shillay (Siolaigh) means seal island.
15:58
Shillay.
This is about as close to paradise as you can get! In the late part of the year
hundreds of grey seals haul out on this beach to pup.
17:33
The
great white strand of Berneray as seen from the sands below Rubh' an t-Seanna-Chaisteil,
Pabbay.
17:33
Rubh'
an t-Seanna-Chaisteil, Pabbay.
17:35
The
Cuillin of Skye from Pabbay over the shoulder of Berneray.
17:42
The
great white strand of Berneray as seen from the sands below Rubh' an t-Seanna-Chaisteil,
Pabbay.
18:05
Within
moments of leaving Pabbay, the clouds gathered again and a force 3-4 NW wind got
up.
There are no photographs of the crossing from Pabbay to Boreray as both hands were required for the paddle.
21:23
Beinn
Mhor 190m, North Uist from Boreray.
21:24
Sunset from the abandoned village, Boreray.
21:31
Sunset
over Loch Mor, Boreray.
21:59
Dead
orca on Mol Mor, west coast of Boreray.
22:02
Bleached
whale vertebra found on Mol Mor. Not sure what sort of whale this was. Is it too
big to be from a minke? Can anyone help please?
Photo Billy Nicol
Conditions on the day: Wind NE force 4 to 5 dropping 3. HW (Leverburgh): 10:51 BST 3.80m LW: 17:03 1.24m
06:35
Abandoned
settlement Boreray.
08:55
Leaving Boreray for Berneray, just as the wind picked up from the calm of early morning..
The crossing from Boreray to Berneray was straight into a force 5 NE breeze with an awkward beam swell. There were no photographs taken until we got into the shelter of Berneray.
10:01
Approaching
the NW coast of Berneray.
10:05
View
SW down Berneray strand.
10:13
View
NE up Berneray strand towards Pabbay.
10:16
View
SW down Bernerray strand.
10:26
The
north coast of Berneray.
The emerald seas with perfect swells, the dark hills, the big skies, the green of the machair and the dazzling white shell sand beaches.
10:28
The
north coast of Berneray.
11:03
Crossing
the Sound of Harris to Killegray.
11:39
Killegray, this
is a tricky spot to land and launch. It is towards the north end of the west
coast of Killegray. Fully exposed to the surf from the NW, the steep beach
causes the surf to dump. The view is SSW towards North Uist. The hills are on
the east coast and are Li a Tuath 250m, Li a Deas 281m and Eabhal 347m. The
low lying land of North Uist to their west is below the horizon.
The crossing to Ensay across Caolas Sgairidh had some interesting eddies.
13:03
Paddling
up the SE coast of Ensay looking towards
Ceapabhal 365m.
13:20
Waiting
for the ferry back to Berneray and North Uist.
Just as the ferry came in, Billy managed to hitch a lift 15 km back up the single track road to Traigh Niosaboist where we had left the car. Unfortunately all the traffic was coming south to catch the ferry so it was a slow journey. As the time came for the ferry to depart, I casually walked up the ramp and approached the ferry man.
"Feashar math" says I in my best Gaelic.
It must have been pretty good as several paragraphs of high speed Gaelic headed my way.
"I am very sorry, I don't speak Gaelic."
"That's a pity, I thought maybe you were from Solas."
"Actually my father in law is from Greinetobht."
"Och, Ah should have known, they speak very differently there." (They are at least a kilometre apart.)
"By the way, does this ferry run exactly to timetable?"
"My goodness yes, this fine vessel is the most punctual in all of the Western Isles and beyond! Would you like a wee carry onto the ferry with those two great canoes of yours? Up on the bridge, we were all discussing how clever you must be to paddle two at once but Donald "Two Ties" thought, maybe you towed one like a caravan!
"Thank you but my friend is away getting the car."
"And where might you have left this car?"
"Traigh Niosaboist."
"Traigh Niosaboist? That is indeed a great distance away. When did your friend leave?"
"About 10 minutes ago."
"Well in that case it is quite impossible that he will be back by the embarkation time of this very punctual vessel..."
I must have looked a little down at this point.
"....but I can assure you of this. Once I have informed the Captain that there is passenger who has lost his way, there is no possibility that this vessel will leave the jetty, until your friend is safely on board."
The ferry left, very punctually, 20 minutes after the planned embarkation time. What a wonderful place, what wonderful people!
Once we got off the ferry to Berneray, we drove across the causeway to North Uist and drove round to Greinetobht for a walk on the great sweep of Traigh Lar on the peninsula leading to Aird a' Mhorain.
16:30
Machair Leathan looking over Traigh Ear to Berneray and Harris in the
distance.
16:44 Panorama from the dunes above Traigh Lar.
16:46
St Kilda: telephoto shot from the dunes above Traigh Lar. The rocks of
Haskeir Island can be seen at the left edge of the photo. To their right is
Conachair 376m, the highest point of St Kilda 75.6 km away. 7.6 km to the right
of Conachair is the great stac of Boreray 384m.
17:14
From the machair of Rhuba Bheilis across Traigh Lar to the dark hills of
Crogearraidh Beg 140m, Crogearraidh Mor 180m and Maari 171m to distant Li a Dias
281m and Eabhal 347m in the sunshine.
17:17
Gannets or Solan geese (probably from St Kilda) diving for fish off Traigh Lar.
The village of Solas and Eabhal 347m are behind.
We then had a very pleasant meal in the Lochmaddy Hotel before driving back to the causeway to Berneray. We had intended to kayak across and camp on one of the Berneray beaches we had visited last year, but since there was a perfectly good causeway, it seemed to be a shame not to use it so we car camped for our last night.
21:35
Car camping on Berneray.
21:43
Sunset over Spuir from the great west strand of Berneray.
11:37
Ronay
from Kallin harbour, Grimsay.
11:39
Checking
scallop dredges.
11:40
Ronay
rises above Kallin harbour on Grimsay.
12:16
Wiay
rises above Port Feadair, Eilean na Cille, Benbecula.
12:18
Hecla
606m, South Uist, from Port Feadair.
12:47
The
Monach Islands from Cean Traghad, Benbecula.
12:49
Baile
nan Cailleach and Hecla 606m, South Uist, from Cean Traghad, Benbecula.
12:59
Li a
Deas 281m and Eaval 347m on North Uist from Baile a' Mhanaich, Benbecula.
15:36
Lochmaddy
ferry terminal.
16:54
The
Minch on the way back to Uig in Skye.
Scottish Sea Kayayaking Photo Gallery: Main Menu.
Scottish Mountain Photo Gallery Main MenuSite editor: Douglas Wilcox (D.E.Wilcox@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
)
Page created 09/11/05
Page last updated 10/11/05
GPS
track of route, 61.7 km.
19:10
Traigh
Paibeal.
10:54
Barcadale 
11:20
Sound
of Taransay
12:20
Traigh
Scarista.
13:31
Toe
Head.
13:47
Toe
Head.
14:58
Heading
for Shiilay.
19:13
Boreray, 
06:19
Boreray
early morning.
06:29
Lady's bedstraw.
06:33
Red
clover.
16:49
Traigh Lar, North Uist.
16:50
Traigh Lar.
16:53
Traigh Lar.
17:00
Traigh Lar.
17:35
Traigh Udal Beg.
Berneray
machair.
21:45
Sunset from Berneray.
21:46
Sunset from Berneray.
11:38
Kallin
harbour.
15:37
Arrival
of MV Hebrides.